A national initiative, Online Cenotaph is a biographical database that allows researchers, enthusiasts, and veterans and their families to explore, contribute to, and share the records and stories of those who served for Aotearoa New Zealand.
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New Zealand-born Dr Ada McLaren (1869–1951) was a pioneering woman doctor who served with the Scottish Women’s Hospitals in Serbia during World War I, where she was taken prisoner. She later worked in military hospitals in Malta and Egypt, specialising in infectious diseases. Family research by Juliana Smithells has brought her story to light.
Wounded and captured during World War II, Alfred Andreassend discovered embroidery while recovering in prisoner of war hospitals. Sophie Elborough shares his story, drawing on family recollections and Museum collections to examine creativity, rehabilitation and life after captivity.
For years, Pou Maumahara volunteer Judy Owen had known of an extensive family archive of letters penned by May Officer, Judy’s great aunt,. With the assistance of the Online Cenotaph team, Judy has been able to share small pieces of this extensive family archive, allowing us insight into the life and World War II service of May in her own words.
Mike Mendonça MBE served with the New Zealand Supply Detachment in Mogadishu during New Zealand's contribution to the United Nations Operation in Somalia in 1993. Adapted from his published reflections, this article recounts the experiences of New Zealand personnel serving on a United Nations humanitarian and peacekeeping mission.
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Russell Cyril James Stone ONZM (1923–2026) served in the New Zealand Army and Royal New Zealand Air Force during World War II and later in the Territorial Force. A distinguished historian and Emeritus Professor at the University of Auckland, he was widely regarded as the ‘Father of Auckland history’. His extensive research and publications made a lasting contribution to understanding the history of Tāmaki Makaurau. Russell Stone died on 20 October 2026, aged 103.User submitted story about Russell Cyril James Stone ONZM